Rob and I tried to get a group together from the UAOC to do some roadside skiing on the first weekend of december. I hadn't been out at all and Rob had only done a day at Marmot so it would be the start to the season for us. Unfortunately, it looks like everybody was hunkered down for exams and so it was just Rob and I who headed out for the Rockies on Friday.
Apart from a near miss with several road-dwelling horses and a broken thermostat on my car, we got there just fine and headed to Bow Summit for Saturday. I dug a quick pit about halfway between the parking lot and treeline. We found 115cm depth and everything to be very well bonded together. Layers were still distinct but they were all resistant to shearing. We skied lines below treeline where the snow was best and the risk negligible.
On Sunday, we headed out to HWY 93 South for a recon mission, in preparation for a club hostel weekend at the Castle Mountain hostel. We spotted some good terrain and headed up into the burn on Mt. Whymper. It was tight and boney in there with considerably less snow cover, but I still managed to get half a good run out of it. There are definitely some good lines in there, and there is also some very easy terrain in the "cat track" created as a fire block during the burn. I see some promising skiing going on during the upcoming hostel trip...
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| Snow coverage at Bow Summit |
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| Rob climbing up a spur ridge on Mt. Whymper's burned side |
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| Soft snow and mild weather made for happy turns |
